Finance Ministry to strengthen oversight of public funds through amended Audit Act, new procurement law

The Finance Ministry plans to amend the Audit Act and implement the Government Procurement Act to enhance public fund oversight and transparency.

The amended Audit Act allows broader auditing by the Auditor-General, and the Government Procurement Act increases procurement transparency by sharing contract details.

The proposed Government-Owned Entities Bill aims to prevent financial mismanagement in government entities, addressing issues like 1MDB and involving statutory bodies.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 12 — The Finance Ministry will use amendments to the Audit Act 1957 and the Government Procurement Act 2026 to strengthen oversight of public funds and improve transparency in government spending.

Treasury secretary-general Tan Sri Johan Mahmood Merican said the amended Audit Act gives the Auditor-General greater scope to trace funds across government agencies and examine how the money is used.

“The government has also approved the Government Procurement Act, which enables the government to tighten oversight in terms of transparency and value for money in the procurement process.

“The Act will be enforced next year, where the government will also share details on companies receiving the contracts,” Johan said.

The Government Procurement Act 2026 was gazetted on May 26 and is expected to come into operation in 2027, subject to a commencement date appointed by the Finance Minister through a gazette notification.

Johan said governance would be further strengthened through a proposed Government-Owned Entities Bill, which is intended to improve oversight of procurement and investment by government-owned entities, including government-linked companies and statutory bodies.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had previously said the proposed Bill was intended to prevent major financial scandals, including 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), and mismanagement involving Tabung Haji and Felda, from recurring.

Separately, Anwar said the Government Procurement Act would improve transparency through the publication of project details, including the names of contractors and contract values, once it comes into force in 2027.

“When governance is corrected, the benefits resulting from the change will contribute to the people’s welfare,” Anwar said previously.

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财政部计划修订《审计法》并实施《政府采购法》，以加强对公共资金的监督和透明度。

修订后的《审计法》允许审计长进行更广泛的审计，《政府采购法》通过共享合同详情提高了采购透明度。

拟议的《政府所有实体法案》旨在防止政府实体出现财务管理不善问题，解决诸如 1MDB 等问题，并涉及法定机构。

吉隆坡，10月12日讯——财政部将利用对1957年审计法和2026年政府采购法的修订，加强对公共资金的监督，提高政府支出的透明度。

财政部秘书长丹斯里约翰·马哈茂德·梅里坎表示，修订后的审计法赋予审计长更大的权力，可以追踪政府机构的资金流向，并审查资金的使用情况。

“政府还批准了《政府采购法》，该法使政府能够加强对采购过程透明度和性价比的监督。

约翰说：“该法案将于明年实施，届时政府还将公布获得合同的公司的详细信息。”

《2026 年政府采购法》于 5 月 26 日公布，预计将于 2027 年生效，具体生效日期由财政部长通过政府公报通知确定。

约翰表示，拟议的《政府所有实体法案》将进一步加强治理，该法案旨在改善对政府所有实体（包括政府关联公司和法定机构）的采购和投资的监督。

首相拿督斯里安华·易卜拉欣此前曾表示，拟议法案旨在防止重大金融丑闻（包括一马发展有限公司 (1MDB) 丑闻）以及涉及朝圣基金局 (Tabung Haji) 和联邦土地发展局 (Felda) 的管理不善事件再次发生。

安华还表示，政府采购法一旦在 2027 年生效，将通过公布项目详情（包括承包商名称和合同金额）来提高透明度。

安华此前曾表示：“当治理方式得到纠正时，由此带来的好处将有助于人民的福祉。”

马来西亚财政部秘书长表示，马来西亚的目标是到2027年将财政赤字控制在3.3%，到2028年控制在3%。

柔佛州一名七岁男童遭流浪狗袭击重伤，此前同一地点发生的另一起事件中，一名青少年幸免于难。

马来西亚副首相法迪拉表示，政府的目标是将马来西亚33条受污染河流的水质改善10%。